Automatic firearm having alpha recoiling barrel and an amplifying push lever



June 9, 1931'. v C, SONClNl l,809,222

AUTOMATIC FIREARM HAVING A REcoILING BARREL AND AN AMPLIFYING PUSH LEVER F i1'ed Feb. 24, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 1 I ven/far.'

C. SONCINI June; 9, 1931.

AUTOMATIC I'TIREARM HAVINGA RECOILING BARREL AND AN AMPLIFYING PUSH LEVER Filed Feb. 24, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 9,-' 19,31 I l UNITED I STATES PATENT -ortica CESARE soNCINI, or BRESCIA, ITALY, AssIeNoa 'ro SOCIETA ITALIANA nnNEsTd BBEDAPER CosTRUzIoNI MECCANICHE, or MILAN, ITALY AUTOMATIC FIREAMI HAVING A' nECoILINe BARREL AND AN mamme PUSH LEVER Application led February 24, 1928, Serial No. 258,679, and in Italy Hatch 5, 1927.

' the point of view of reliable operation.

Furthermore, the parts of the known'.

weapons have lnot the form which. is best adapted to insure/that degree of reliability and simplicity which is desirable.

rlhe principal object of the present inven vtion is' to obtain a perfect cooperation between all the various parts, the construction being simple, the operation reliable and the control easy. g

The improved weaponis characterized in that the accelerator lever and the bolt are formed and arranged so that the one operates upon the other without the intermediary of,

any spring and without contact between the two being broken at any time when the 7 weapon is in use, and in such a manner that l rangements than belt-'feed may be used.

the aforesaid lever drives and controls the i movements of the breech and the bolt directly and all the other operating parts indirectly.

rThe weapon is further characterized by the construction and arrangement of the various' parts which have been adopted with a view to obtainin the'above-mentioned desirable characteristics, as well as by certain s eciiic inherent and .functional qualities .o each part. n

In the accompanying drawings, one embodiment/ of the invention is illustrated by way ofl example, a weapon particularly adapted for use in arming aircraft being shown in which belt-feed is employed. 1t will be understood, however, that the weapon may be modified, and that otherClaronsequently, while some of the compo ents described below are essential charac ristics of the invention, others are ,variable/ in 'accordance with' the nature of the weapon under consideration. v f

In the accompanying drawings, the va rious parts ofthe lweapon are #shown drawn 5 to various scales, but in all the gures the same reference numerals relate to the same parts.

1n the drawings: l Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the weapon;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionthrough the bolt Figs. 3 and 4 show in section and in plan, respectively, the means for feeding the belt; `Figs. 5 and 6 show two positions, engaged and disengaged, of the locking member for the bolt;

Figs. `7 and 8 are perspective views of the said locking member and the guide plate vwith which it cooperates;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show, respectively, the accelerator lever in two diierent positions in section, and in perspective;

Fig. 12 represents the trigger mechanism 0 Figs. 13 and ylli'show, in perspective `an in section, the. means for taking cartridges from the belt and transferring them to the.v

firing chamber.

With` a view to facilitate an understanding of the following description, a comprehensive list of the component parts of the weapon is iven.

In the rawings, 1 indicates the breech casing, 2 the barrel, 3 the feed conduit, and

4 a cover for the casing. 5 is a lever for Inovand 8 the breech en or extension of the barrel. 9 is a vertically-reciprocating member for transferring the cartridges. 1() is a cam groove formed in the casing to control transfer member 9, 11 is the'ring pin, 12 the main recoil spring, and 13 a damping spring. 14

ing the belt, 6 a win on lever 5, 7 is the bolt,

is the accelerator lever which moves the bolt 7 8 and with which the lever 14 is connected.

' 16- is a device for regulatin the tension of spring 12, 23 (Fig. 13) a double claw or grip' per, which holds the vcartridges during their and 15 is a carriage attached to extension,

movement from the belt to the firing chamber, 24 a claw movably mounted on the transfer member 9, and 25 is a tooth on the transfer member which guides the. said member 9 by engagement with cam 10. 26 (Figs. 13 and 14) is a holding member for the cartridges, 27 (Fig. 12) the hammerfor'the firing pin 11, 28 a detent for the hammer, 29 the trlgger control lever, 30 a plunger operating the hammer, 31 a detent for insurin synchronization when the weapon is requlred for use on aircraft and tiring is to take place through the propeller, and 32 is a plunger for controlling the operation of detent 31. k

The accelerator lever 14, shown in detail' in Figs. 9,10 and 11, is given aA form which renders it particularly adapted to fulfill the purpose for which it is required. It comprises two angularly-arranged arms, as will be readily seen from the drawings, the upper arm being slightly bent and its end making contact above with a flat 37 formed on the bolt. As the abutting part 38 of the carriage 15 engages a oint between the end of the upper arm an the pivot of the accelerator lever, itvefects a movement with an increasing acceleration according as its-.said point of engagement approachestowardsthe pivot of the lever.` The lowler'arm of the lever carries at its end a roller 36 which rolls, during the rotary movement of the lever, on the arc formed by the surfaces of the two spaced parts 39 of the carriage, and it remains constantly in contact therewith.

The characteristic of this device, which moves the bolt without the intermediary ofl springs, resides in the arrangement which permits it to operate as a true control for all the movements taking place in the mechanism of the weapon, since the two parts 36 and 39,

by reason of their form, remain always incontact with one another when the weapon is in use, so that the barrel extension 8, as well as the bolt and, also, indirectly, all the other components, operate under the control of the lever device. When the bolt recoils independently of the barrel extension, the position ofthe upper arm of the lever is determined by the flat 37 0n the bolt, while the lower arm determines the position of the carriage 15 and fixes it at `its upper part, as

shown in Fig. 9. Consequently, it determines in a precise manner the position of the barrel extenslon 8 to which the carriage is in turn connected. Fig. 10 shows the position of the accelerator lever when the mechanism is in closed position. In this position, the carriage 15 moves with the extension 8, while the accelerator lever is pivoting about pivot rigid with the breech casing.

vThe closing means for th'e weapon is of a form adapted to cooperate'with the abovedescribed arrangements, and its characteristics are such as to ermit the feeding of the weapon by means o a. belt from above the i manner yet to be described. The closing aircraft.

cartridges to be kept free which is of great importance in the case o weapons used on -e closing arran ement essentially comprises a locklng mem r 17 having a laterally-projecting rhomboidal extension or stud 34which engages in a slot or groove formed in the closure it (Figs. 5-8).

vThe trigger mechanism is contained within a casing or receptacle 19 external of the weapon, as shown 1n Fig. 2 and in Fi 12. It comprises the previously-mentioned iam` mer 27, which is cockedb the bolt during its recoiling movement adyis held cocked by the detent 28. In the position shown, the hammer is engaged by said detent.

`When the bolt is returned to closing position, it contacts, through a tooth, with the lower extremity 42 of the trigger lever 29. This lever is moved forward; and, in .consequence, the upper enjd 43 of the detent 28 is 'pushed forward, thereby releasing thehamplate 18 vwhich guides y closed; it isvalso necessary that the movement of the hammer shall take place in phase with g the rotation of the propeller and, consequentlyl, of the motor. or this pur ose the sync ronizing pawl 31 is rovlde which, with its tooth 45, forms a evice controlling the operation of the hammer so that the actuation of the latter is only possible when the synchronizing pawl is displaced by the motor through a spmclle 44 (Fig. 2) suiciently to free the hammer. This movement of the synchronizing pawl may be efected by means of any of the arrangements already known 1n connection with weapons of a like kind.

The ower of the recoil spring 13 may be varied by means of the regulatingscrew 16 (Fig. 1) which is rotatable within the extension 21 of the breech casing, and the power of the spring is determined according to the positionof the screw. This adjustment'device is of particular utility in the case of machine guns employed on aircraft.

The devices used in the. present 'weapon are designed for use with bolt-loaders and, consequently, they are adapted to carry out the usual `three required steps with the cartridges is effected by the mechanism whichv also controls the movement of the belt. The transfer of cartridges from the belt to the firing chamber is effected in thev following manner:

Into the feed passage 3, which is of ordinary form, the cartridges are fed by a belt (not shown) of fabric or metal which may be flexible or not and which passes the cartridges into a position where the jaws of the gripper 23 engage over the rim of the cartridge as the bolt 7 moves forward. On firing, the bolt moves rearward (to the left in Fig. l) and the cartridge, which is then engaged by the gripper, as just stated, is thus v withdrawn from the belt.

As the cartridge becomes completely freed froml the belt, the boss o r t`ooth 25, owingtothe shape given the cam groove 10 with which it is engaged, causes the transfer member 9 to move downward, thereby pushing the car- 1 tridge downward from between the jaws of gripper 23 into,a position in which its \rim engages between guides 33 on the bolt and rests against the end of the pivoted holding member 26. When this position -is reached, the rearwardmovement of the bolt is completed and its return movement commences, during which time the cartridge is pushed into the firing chamber.

Before the return or closing movement of bolt 7 is completed, the transfer 'member or.

carrier 9 is returned by the cam groove 1() to itsraised position, and the gripper 23 is ready to grasp the next cartridge in the belt. When the recoil movement of the bolt commences, the spent cartridge is withdrawn from the firing chamber by the engagement of guides 33 with the rim of the cartridge; and after withdrawal of the said spent cartridge, the latter is ejected through opening 2O (Fig. 2) by being pushed past the end of the holding member or stop 26 by the lower end of the previously-mentioned claw 24 which is pivotally mounted on carrier 9 (Fig. 3) Th e hold ing member ory stop 26 isitself yieldably mounted, as shown in Fig. 4.

The weapon also possesses certain important distinguishing characteristics in connec tibn with the feed of the belt. In known types of belt-driven machine guns, the operation is effected by means of a simple lever M pivoted at any convenient point upon the breech casing and operating upon a part of the feeding carriage of the belt, the other end of thefleverbeingguided by a cam provided on thebolt.

This arrangement works satisfactorily only when the distance between lever and bolt is reduced to a minimum, so that the imposition of considerable strains upon the lever is avoided.

In the present case, the breech end or extension 8 of the barrel and the breech casing 1 have been given a cylindrical form to facilitate accurate and easy manufacture; but this, while being of great importance from the point of view of production and operation, has the effect of increasing the distance of the feed lever 5 from the bolt and, in consequence, its pivot 40v becomes of such excessive length as to affect the operation disadvantageously. To overcome this objection, a device is provided in which the lever 5 is associated with a'wing 6 which is capable of oscillating about a long pivot 41 iXed i-n the breech casing, under the control of a tooth` 42, which engages in a cam groove (not shown) formed in the bolt. This oscillating wing 6 transmits movements to lever 5 without `strain.

Summarlzing, it is clear that from theV point of view of operation, the improved weapon possesses important advantages. It

is provided with a locking device arranged at one side and at the head of the bolt where K it cannot impede the feed of the cartridges from above, and their ejection from below; it

also possesses a feed-lever system which permits the adoption of a cylindrical form for the barrel extension and the breech casing, this lever being combined with a movementtransmitting wing; and it is furnished with a U-shaped gripper which moves the car-y tridges from the belt and grips them symmetrically and centrally of their two sides. Finally, a carrier movingv in a straight path is provided to transfer the'cartridges in a satisfactory manner.

All these parts or devices operate under the control of means which include an accelerator lever and a carriage cooperating and in constant connection therewith. Furthermore, the trigger device comprises not only a safety detent operating according as the weapon is closed, but also a synchronizing detent operating in accordance with the movement of an outside motor that, for example, drives the I'.

propeller of an aircraft( What I claim is: 1. In a machine gun, a breech casing; a recoiling barrel; a sliding bolt having a fiat on its under face; a carriage fixed to the breech end of the barrel; vand an accelerator lever embodying two angularly-arranged arms mounted at the apex of the angle to rock about a pivot fixed to said casing, one arm projecting upwardlyv intol thepath of the carriage for coaction therewith and with said flat, and the otherarm projecting toward said carriage and having a constant sliding engagement with the same.

' mounted at the apex of the angle to rock about a pivot fixed to said casing, one arm projecting upwardly into the path of the carriage for coaction therewith and with said fiat, and the other arm pro'ecting through the space between the depen ing carriage members and terminating in a roller which has va constant sliding engagement with the curved edges of said members.

4. A machine gun, according to claim 3,-in which the carriage is provided with an abutment adapted to strike against the upwardly projecting arm of the accelerator lever between the pivot of the lever and the free end of said arm.

5. A trigger mechanism for machine guns, comprising a trigger lever provided with a circular recess; a hammer cocked by the bolt of the gun; a spring-actuated plunger for operating the hammer; and a pivoted detent for holding the hammer in cocked position having one end constantly engaged in said recess and the other end releasably engaged with the hammer, said trigger lever being rocked by the closing movement of the bolt and thereby rocking the detent about its pivot so as to disengage the hammer.

6. A trigger mechanism for aircraft machine guns, comprising a trigger lever provided with a recess; a hammer cocked by the recoil movement of the bolt of the gun; a

spring-actuated plunger for operating the.

hammer; a pivoted detent for holding the hammer in cocked position havin one end engaged in said recess and the other end engaged with the hammer, said triggerlever being rocked by the closing movement of the bolt and thereby rocking the detent about its pivot so as to disengage the hammer; a spindle to be driven from the motor of the aircraft; and a synchronizing detent on said spindle for controlling the operation of the hammer in phase with the rotation of the propeller of the aircraft. Y v

7 Inv a machine gun of the belt-feed type, a breech casing; a recoiling barrel; a sliding bolt; a grip er for removing the cartridges from the belt during recoil provided with a pair of claws for engaging the cartridges on both sides; a reciprocating block for transferring the cartridges from the ripper into position to be moved into the ring chamber by the bolt, and a springoperated lever mounted on the side of the bolt to hold the cartridges in position preparatory to their entry into the firing chamier.

8. In automatic firearms, a recoiling barrel; a sliding bolt; and an accelerator device comprising two relatively-moving parts, one'embodying a member having a shaped surface and connected to the breech end of the barrel, and the other embodying a two-armed lever mounted to rock about a fixed pivot, one

arm being in contact with the bolt, and the other arm in permanent sliding contact with the shaped surface of said member.

9. An automatic Y firearm, according to claim 8, additionally provided with a locking member arranged at the head and to one side .of the bolt and connected to the same, a closure plate provided with a guide slot, and a stud on the locking membe'r slidably engaged in slot and whereby said member is contro e 10. In a machine gun of the belt-feed type,

a breech casing; a recoiling barrel; a sliding bolt having a cam groove in lts upper face; a

rocking', pivotally-mounted feed lever for moving the belt step by step and operated indirectly by the bolt during its reciprocating movement; and a transmission connection between the bolt and the feed lever for effecting such indirect operation of said lever; such connection embodying an oscillating wing, and a vertical pivot on the breech casing and about which the wing swings, said wing having a recess to receive the pivot of the feed lever and also having a pin that prol jects into the cam groove in the bolt.

11. In a machine gun of the belt-feedtype, a breech casing; a' recoiling barrel; a sliding bolt; a gripper carried by the bolt for removing the cartridges from the belt during recoil, said -gripper'being arranged in a plane parallel with the axis of the bolt and having claws at its ends for engaging the cartridges or. both sides; a reciprocating block for transferring the cartridges from the gripper into position to be moved into the firing chamber by the bolt; and a screen-operated lever mounted in the side of the bolt to hold the cartridges in position preparatory to their entry into the firing chamber.

12. In a machine gun of the belt-feed type, a breech casing provided with a cam: a recoiling barrel; a sliding bolt; a gripper carried by the bolt for removing the cartridges from the belt during recoil; a reciprocating block for transferring the cartridges from the gripper into a position to be moved into the firing chamber by the bolt, said block sldable in rectilinear grooves formed' in the bolt in a direction normal to its axis; and a tooth on the block engaged withthe cam on the breech casing to control the movements of the block.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature.

CESARE SONOIN. 

